A revitalized mountain town in Bosnia is gaining attention for all the wrong reasons, as residents, environmental groups, and officials try to uncover what has contaminated the community.
Reuters reported on the town of Vares, where testing detected lead in the blood of more than 300 nearby residents after a silver, lead, and barite mine opened in 2024.
At the time, the town welcomed it as a long-awaited economic boost, delivering jobs, new roads, and renewed commerce, per Reuters. What it didn't anticipate was lead contamination, which is prompting four environmental agencies to file charges against the mining company.
"We think that the situation is ripe to declare an emergency situation," Miroslav Pejcinovic, the president of one of the groups, told Reuters. "Somebody needs to take responsibility."
So far, Canadian-based Dundee Precious Metals, which took over the mine in September, is demurring on that. It agreed to provide blood testing, as promised by the previous owners, at the end of 2025, though.
Of the first 44 people tested, 17 showed elevated lead levels. Reuters noted that later screening by health institutes detected lead in more than 300 residents, with the contamination extending further out.
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Residents haven't reported harm from the lead yet, per Reuters. However, as the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention noted, any level of lead in blood is unsafe, and the problem is especially important for children who can suffer developmental problems.
A March report from the Vares health center said the results suggested no acute lead poisoning but instead possible longer-term exposure to low-level environmental factors, as Reuters noted. The report stated 13% exceeded 5 micrograms per deciliter. That's a key marker for locating and stopping the exposure source, according to the World Health Organization.
It remains somewhat ambiguous whether the specific mine is at fault or whether the region's past mining operations are to blame.
For families living closest to the site, the distinction might be irrelevant as the situation is already reshaping daily life. Reuters spoke with the Ahmedovic family, who had two children test positive for lead and had to cease farming operations.
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"Life with lead is not easy," remarked Elisa Ahmedovic, the children's mother.
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